Biotin Archives - Beat The Hair Drug Test

In 2017, the FDA issued a warning about biotin supplements. They had confirmed that biotin supplements were interfering with numerous lab tests. It’s something many medical and lab professionals had known for a while. But the FDA’s warning brought the issue to public attention. Here’s the problem with biotin supplements when it comes to lab testing. Many tests including those of cancer, heart disease and anemia involve measuring certain protein markers. Labs use biotin technology to diagnose these and many more serious health conditions. But if there’s already too much biotin in blood, it can interfere with the accuracy of the tests. The lab may find that the protein markers are too low or too high. This can lead to misdiagnosis with fatal consequences. The FDA says a patient died after a misleadingly low troponin test. Troponin is a protein that can be used to diagnose heart attacks. Where Does Biotin Come From? Biotin is a B-vitamin that occurs naturally in foods like eggs, meat, liver, nuts and dairy. Biotin from a normal diet is perfectly fine. In fact, it’s highly beneficial for your health. The problem comes in if you are taking supplements containing biotin. There are so many of them that you are probably taking biotin without knowing it. Multivitamins have biotin as do supplements for hair, skin and nails. Even prenatal vitamins contain biotin. According to the FDA, some supplements have 650 times the recommended minimum daily intake. If you take supplements containing biotin, there is a high risk they will interfere with any blood work you get at the lab. What Do Biotin Supplements Have to Do With Hair Drug Tests? Not much. I just wanted to dispel a myth that biotin can interfere with your hair drug test and cause you to fail. Biotin only affects blood tests that involve protein markers. When you get a hair follicle test, the lab is not looking for specific proteins. In the case of marijuana, they are testing for the metabolite THC-COOH. So yes, you can pass the test even if you are taking supplements containing biotin. If you do fail, it’s definitely not the biotin. Another claim I’ve seen in forums is that taking biotin supplements before a hair drug test helps your hair grow longer and increases your chances of passing. But there is no research to support the claim that biotin helps hair and nails grow longer. The only time it might help is if you have hair loss (alopecia). If you have normal healthy hair, taking biotin will not increase your chances of passing the test. It will also not increase your risk of failing the test. What About Blood Drug Tests? As with hair drug tests, blood tests look for drug metabolites, not protein markers. So taking a biotin supplement will neither help you pass the test nor make you fail.

Biotin

Can Biotin Cause You To Fail A Hair Drug Test?